Pastry: 225 ml flour Meringue: 2 egg whites 30 ml Crisco shortening 60 ml margarine or butter 1 ml cream of tartar 1 ml salt 80 ml fine sugar 25 ml icing sugar 25 ml ice cold water
Filling: 150 ml sugar Bake: Pastry 400 F 10-15 min 60 ml cornstarch Meringue 350 F 10 min 1/2 ml salt 250 ml water 2 egg yolks 30 ml margarine 60 ml lemon juice (from the fresh lemon and any extra needed from the bottle) 5 ml lemon rind (1/2 a lemon)
1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Measure flour, icing sugar and salt into a medium bowl. Cut in the butter and shortening till the size of small peas.
3. Drizzle the cold water over the dry mixture and stir with a fork until it forms into a ball. Shape into a disc with your hands.
4. Wrap the pastry with saran wrap and let it rest for 10-15 mins in the freezer.
5. Divide the pastry in half. Shape each half into a circular disk and then roll each half out into a circle that is about 2 inches bigger than the pie pan. Fit the pastry into the pie plate, decorating the edges. Push the pastry edges out a bit to the side while shaping to prevent shrinkage.
6. Prick the bottom and sides with a fork and bake for 15 min or until golden brown around the top crust. Remove from oven and let cool. Reduce oven temp to 350 F.
7. Separate the eggs, ONE AT A TIME putting the yolks into the white soup bowl and the whites into your freshly cleaned medium bowl. MAKE SURE NO YOLK GETS IN THE WHITES.
8. Zest your lemon. Then cut the lemon in half and use the juicer to get out all the juice and remove the seeds. Pour out the juice into your glass liquid measure and add any extra needed from the lemon juice bottle to make 60 mL of juice total.
9. For the filling put the sugar, cornstarch and salt into a med saucepan. Whisk together and add the cold water. Whisk the mixture on high heat till thick and clear in texture. (like hair gel)
10. Once the mixture has thickened boil for 1 min, then remove from the heat.
11. Beat the egg yolks with a fork and whisk 15 ml of the hot gel mixture into the yolks to warm them. Do this two more times and then add it all back into the saucepan.
12. While whisking it constantly, cook it for another 3 mins on med heat. Remove from the heat and whisk in the margarine till melted. Then whisk in the lemon juice and lemon zest.
13. Transfer to a medium metal bowl and let cool in the fridge. Then fill the pie shells dividing it evenly between the two pie shells.
13. Sprinkle the cream of tartar over top of the egg whites. Beat until the soft peak stage. (check with the teacher if unsure).
14. Once it has reached the soft peak stage gradually start to add the sugar 15 ml at a time, beating well in between additions until the mixture is bright, shiny, white and stiff.
15. Cover the top of each pie with the meringue making sure to seal it right to the edge of the pastry and then add peaks or decorative swirls to the top.
16. Bake in the oven for 10-15 min at 350 until lightly golden brown.